State Sec. wants working Ukrainian refugees to contribute €350 per month to shelter
State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum Affairs) wants Ukrainian refugees who have paid work to contribute around 350 euros per month to their reception, he said in a letter to parliament.
He’s working on a scheme in which working adult Ukrainians pay 105 euros per person for gas, water, and electricity. And those who receive “catering on location” must pay 242.48 euros per adult per month for food, RTL Nieuws reports.
Last week, a majority in parliament supported the idea of having employed Ukrainian refugees contribute to their shelter. Van der Burg hopes this will encourage more Ukrainians to find a place of their own, freeing up space in the full shelters for new refugees arriving in the Netherlands.
The first reception for Ukrainian refugees in Utrecht, where many Ukrainians report upon arrival in the Netherlands, had to close its doors last week because it is at capacity. The intention is that Ukrainians spend their first night at the shelter in the Jaarbeurs before moving to a more sustainable shelter elsewhere in the country. But there are no shelter spots available.
The BBB and NSC both submitted various proposals to create a personal contribution for this group. However, according to Van der Burg, these proposals were too far apart, so he is developing a scheme himself.
Van der Burg wrote to parliament that asking Ukrainian refugees to pay rent, an option raised in last week’s debate, was too complicated. That is partly because refugees can build up tenancy rights if they pay rent.
The State Secretary also won’t oblige them to pay for health insurance because it is too much work to implement and enforce. Such an obligation would make many Ukrainian refugees entitled to the healthcare allowance. And because many Ukrainians work in temporary positions, they would have to keep switching between their health insurance and healthcare allowance.
